1. Field of the Disclosure
The invention generally relates to canted coil springs and, in particular, to a system, method and apparatus for a stranded canted coil spring for electrical and mechanical contact between adjoining elements.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional canted coil springs are well established for providing electrical contact and mechanical retention in various industrial configurations, such as rod-and-cylinder applications. These springs are used to pass an AC or DC electrical current through the spring between metallic components. The spring comprises a single wire that is wound into a canted coil or advanced pitch spring. Canted coil springs may be used to apply radial loads or axial loads between mating components.
Current state of the art single strand canted coil springs in electrical service have limitations of high deflected loads and resultant high linear friction, when larger diameter wires are used to conduct moderate to high electrical current densities. In addition and depending on the application and materials selected, these springs can have electrical and thermal conductivity restrictions that necessitate redundant components to meet all performance requirements for some installations. Thus, additional improvements in canted coil spring designs would be desirable for expanding their performance capabilities in alternative applications.